


Make Way

by orphan_account



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F, NWSL, Utah Royals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-04-26 08:40:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 19,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14398398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Have a baby? - CheckMake it back and win a World Cup? - CheckHave another baby? - CheckMake it back only to tear an ACL? - CheckTry to make it back again? - QuestionableWin the heart of the defender you hurt? - UnlikelyAmy Rodriguez is the queen of comebacks, but sometimes there are just things that you may not be able to come back to. An injury ruined her 2017 season and put her love life on the backburner. Now Amy is in Utah and deadset on not only getting back to her scoring ways but also winning back the heart she broke.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Dudes it's almost been a year since I started writing my fanfiction again. Anyways I don't know if you know this but I am in love with the Utah Royals almost as much as the Pride. So enjoy my Utah Royals story. 
> 
> I hope you all like it. Leave me love and kudos, also subscribe because I feel like this journey could be interesting. 
> 
> \- Becks

_“Courage doesn’t always roar, sometimes it’s the quiet voice at the end of the day saying I will try again tomorrow”_

Amy Rodriguez stared up at the stadium training facility. She had been in Utah a few days now, trying to work up the courage to actually go to the facility and start training. Last time she had been in a jersey it was for FCKC, but now that team was folded. She had been picked up by the Utah Royals, which had come as a surprise. 

Laura Harvey had seemed excited on the phone to have her, but Amy wasn’t sure how long that would last. Two kids and a questionable ACL injury that she was working back from. The agony of tearing her ACL, the feeling of utter sadness as she had laid on the field. She had just made it back too, she was not sure she could set herself up for the heartbreak. 

Then there was Becky, perhaps that was the hardest thing of all to come back too. Amy had completely shut her out. Becky had been so loving, so kind, one of the first people at her side trying to take care of her. 

It was in the hospital after her ACL surgery that Amy had told Becky that whatever was between them had to stop. Between focusing on her kids, co-parenting with her ex, and trying to rehab she didn’t have time for a budding relationship. 

Becky had been hurt of course, but mostly she had pushed her emotions down. That was Becky, always calm and in control. Amy wished she had been as composed, she had broken down when Becky left.

It had taken almost a year to recover, Amy had tried and failed to fix things with her ex, but thankfully Adam was a good man. He had agreed to relocate with her to Utah when she had gotten her new job. They would live near to each other and co-parent Luke and Ryan. He was a good man and probably one of her best friends. Amy still cared about him, he was the father of her children and somebody she could count on. 

It was actually Adam who had pushed her to talk to Becky, insisting that she needed to get it out of the way before the season actually began. Amy wasn’t sure she was ready to talk to Becky, wasn’t sure there was anything she could do to salvage what she had broke. 

Walking into the Royals locker room, she found Becky right where she thought she’d be, reading a book and meditating. If Becky had noticed her presence, she said nothing, just focusing on reading. 

Amy watched her for a long moment, awkwardly hanging back by the doorframe. She wanted to break the giant wall of tension. This was a new team, a new her and maybe a new chance. 

“You can come into the locker room, they spent enough money on it, it’d be a shame to only get a view from the doorway.” Becky lifted her eyes from the book and stared at Amy. Methodically she placed her book in the locker and stood up, turning her back to blonde. 

Amy frowned and moved further inside, heading to the locker that had her name on it. “So how are you liking Utah?” She asked lamely, unsure of how to even start the conversation. She had missed talking to Becky, she had missed the warmth that the girl usually radiated, the calmness in the midst of chaos. 

Becky sighed softly, hesitating in her movement. She didn’t want to talk to Amy, she didn’t want to pretend like everything was fine when the girl had shattered her heart. She wanted to push Amy away like the girl had done to her, but she couldn’t. Any sort of revenge would not make her feel better. 

She cared about Amy, so being petty would only make things worse. There was a part of Becky that could understand wanting to be away from it all. Amy had been in a vulnerable place and needed time, while Becky had been hurt, she understood. 

“I like Utah, the staff here really cares about us. It’s a nice change to have the support we deserve.” Becky said neutrally, she glanced at Amy and really took in the sight of her for the first time. “You’ll like it here, they’re good people Arod.” 

Amy felt her heart clench at the nickname, but she wasn’t too sure Becky was ready for a heart to heart. Perhaps starting with small talk would be the way to go. “So I heard we have Kelley on our team, that should be exciting.”

The corner of Becky’s lips twitched up, and she shrugged. “I’d rather have her on my team than against me, she’s a handful but I love her. All of our teammates are great this year, we have something to build from.” 

Amy felt a smile tug at her own lips, she admired the way that Becky always spoke so highly of other teammates. That was what made her a good captain, she put the good of the team first and never abandoned her teammates. 

“I missed that about you,” Amy said, realizing far too late that she had said it out loud. 

A storm of emotions crossed over Becky, her face a tell-tale sign. The smile had disappeared, replaced with a grimace as Becky fought to keep her tongue. The same hurt that haunted Amy’s dreams, now refilling Becky’s eyes. 

“Well I should get onto the field, I have a meeting with coach Harvey, so I gotta..” Becky pointed in the direction of the field, and then abruptly left. 

Amy deflated as she watched Becky leave, eventually they would have to talk but for now, she decided to give her captain some space. She could hear more of her teammates arriving and she wanted to make a good impression on them. 

Amy had a lot to prove to her new teammates, to herself and also to Becky. Like a wounded animal she had lashed out at the wrong person when she had been hurt, she had pushed Becky away. She just hoped she could maybe make up for it all. 

“Rodriguez, do my eyes deceive me or have we been graced by the great Arod?” 

The thought of Becky disappeared as Amy was tackled into a bone-crushing hug by Kelley O’Hara. Amy laughed and hugged Kelley back, thankful for the girl’s playful nature. 

“Bow down bitches, the great Arod has come back to save us,” Kelley called over her shoulder, to some of the other girls. "Somebody better call Jesus, I see an angel." 

Amy laughed and gently shoved Kelley off of her. “God I missed you Kel.”

Kelley gave a smug smile and shrugged. “Who wouldn’t miss me, I’m great! Anyways have you met the gals?” Kelley asked, pointing to their new teammates. 

“I know some of them Kel, it’s only been a year.” Amy deadpanned, rolling her eyes. 

“A lot happens in a year.” Kelley insisted, giving a little-annoyed huff, that Amy wasn’t letting her have fun. “Now this is Gunny, don’t worry about her last name, not even the announcers say it right, just call her Gunny.”

Gunny rolled her eyes and held out a hand to Amy. “Nice to meet you, I’m excited to be playing with you, Amy.”

Amy smiled and shook her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.” 

“Moving on, you know the Canadians. Diana Matheson, Maegan Kelley and Desiree Scott.” Kelley gave the trio girls a playfully dirty look. “On this team we’re united, but they’re still the enemy.” Kelley, of course, was only joking. She loved D-Math and the girls. Kelley loved having fun and her fellow Canadians were a riot.

Amy laughed and waved to them, giving a hug to D-Math. “Hey guys, excited to play with you.” She meant it too, it would be nice playing with good people instead of stuck rehabbing at home.

“Anyways, we’re excited to have you too Amy. We even were going to bake you a cake because we missed you so much.” Kelley said a wide smile on her face. She shrugged a little sheepishly as she added the next part. “I kind of ate like half of it though, the icing was really good.” 

“Of course you did.” Amy was not even mad, she was just touched by the fact that Kelley had even thought of her. Maybe playing in Utah with the Royals wouldn’t be so bad. Everybody seemed friendly enough so far. 

Kelley glanced around the locker room, introducing Amy to various people that she hadn’t met since the FCKC days. Finally, after making the rounds, she pulled Amy to a quieter corner of the locker room. 

“Have you talked to Broon?” Kelley asked, serious for probably the first time all day. 

Amy sighed and nodded her head. “I guess so, I mean sort of? She didn’t really seem all that talkative. I was surprised to even be coming to Utah.” 

Kelley knew a little bit of what had happened between the two, but it wasn’t her business so she didn’t want to push. She placed a hand on Amy’s shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. 

“You probably need to hash some stuff out, but Becky is professional. Whatever is going on, she respects you as an athlete. She actually told the higher-ups that you were a good bet to have on the team. She has your back.” Kelley encouraged, hoping that it would put Amy at ease.

It shouldn’t have surprised her that Becky was one of the people who vouched for her. It seemed like a very Becky Sauerbrunn time of thing to do. 

“I’ll find a way to talk to her,” Amy promised, not wanting to cause any drama on the team. This was a fresh start for them all, and it seemed like a good place to play. 

Kelley gave her a shit-eating grin. “Yeah, I’m sure you will make a way.” 

Amy glared at her and groaned. “You have to stop with those shitty puns and jokes KO.” 

“I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t make you laugh, now come on. It’s time to build up some team chemistry. I’ll see you out on the field Ames.” Kelley said, finishing changing into her training gear before heading out to the field. 

Amy took a deep breath and changed into her gear. She laced her cleats, ready to get back out there and start trying to get back playing minutes. She didn’t know if she could win Becky back, but she was hoping to at least fix their friendship. 

“Utah, make way for Arod,” Amy said quietly to herself, before stepping out into the blinding sunlight.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which teammates and an ex-husband meddle trying to get Becky and Amy to talk to each other but it doesn't quite work out like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys rock, I was literally blown away by the response to this story. I honestly wasn't sure anybody would be interested in reading the story about the royals or the pairing of Becky/Amy. I am so glad to have caught everybody's attention. You all inspired me to write chapter two like the words were just flowing so much. 
> 
> Come talk to me at Krashlynpride on Tumblr. I love hearing from you guys, as always comments and kudos are appreciated. You can also follow my Utah royals blog at utahroyalko on Tumblr. Sometimes I liveblog about the game. 
> 
> \- Becks
> 
> P.S. I am also coming up on my one year anniversary of when I got back into writing for good. I started writing soccer stories again a year ago May 8th. Since then I've almost published 200,000 words. Thank you all for joining me on this ride, you guys are the best.

_Courage is the discovery that you may not win, and trying when you know you can lose - Thomas Krause_

Becky had to admit the view that the stadium gave of Utah was majestic and beautiful. The snow-capped mountains in the distant were something, that Becky always enjoyed seeing in the morning. Everything seemed so crystal clear and open, it felt like an almost fairytale place.

Becky really did feel like royalty the longer she hung around. The coaching staff and the owners were in the top tie, probably at the top of the list in her experience. She was proud to be captaining the team, she felt like all of the players on the team had something to prove. They were all hungry for redemption and she wanted to lead them to the promised land, a well deserved run with the NWSL championship.

Still, there was something that was making things not quite as enjoyable or rather somebody. Becky had always been the type of player to check her baggage at the sidelines. Whatever drama was going on off the field, stayed off the field. She had seen far too many cat fights and ugly chippy games due to personal reasons. 

She tried to keep her head focused, but seeing Amy for the first time in almost a year had her feeling conflicted. Becky felt like her emotions had been put inside of a spin cycle on a washing machine. It left the defender not even knowing which way was up.

“You stare at her anymore and you might stare a hole through her Broon,” Kelley commented, noticing the distracted look on her captain’s face. Kelley didn’t have all the details of what had gone down, it wasn’t her place to even ask. All that Kelley wanted was to make sure there was no friction on her new team. "I will admit she does have a nice backside though." Kelly winked playfully at Becky, trying to get her to lighten up a little bit.

“I am not staring...I’m observing.” Becky protested lamely. She wished things weren’t complicated, she wished her heart didn’t clench painfully in her chest whenever she looked Amy’s way. She glared at Kelley's last comment and flipped her off. "Stop trying to sleep with all your teammates O'Hara. That's now what they mean when they say build chemistry"

"Hey we all build chemistry in our own ways, you should know that." Kelley protested, kicking the ball towards Becky.

It was true, teammates all built relationships and chemistry in their own way. That was actually how Becky and Amy had even got to hang out with each other, away from the pitch. It was why it made it so hard when Amy pushed her away after the injury.

Walking out of the room a year prior had been the hardest thing Becky had done, but she had done it to respect Amy’s wishes. She had stayed away because she had assumed that was what Amy wanted from her. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Kelley asked, deciding that she should at least offer her captain a shoulder to cry on if need be. Kelley had been in love before, she knew what it was like to lose it as well. She didn't like seeing the older player sad and upset.

Becky waved her off and shook her head. “No, not really. I don’t think I can, I’m sorry Kel.” Becky gave her a sad smile, before trying to get her head into the game. Becky had other things on her plate beside Amy being back. Becky felt like she needed to prove to Laura Harvey that she made a good choice by signing her and making her captain. 

Further down the field, Amy was practicing some plays with Diana Matheson and Gunny, she was trying to build some chemistry with them so that they’d play well together. 

“It’s nice to see you two back on the field,” Gunny said looking at the other two women. They both had been making their way back onto the field and she was excited to play with the veterans. 

Amy smiled, her eyes shifting to the pitch. It felt good to be able to play again, to lace up her cleats and be apart of the team. She had struggled with her recovery, not only as a mom but as a player. It was hard to get back to a place where she could trust her knee to hold up. 

“So how’s your husband?” Diana asked, trying to foster a friendship with Amy. She knew her well enough from all the games they had played in the league and on the national team level.

Amy’s smile dimmed just slightly. “Oh, we’re not together.” She admitted, giving a careless shrug. “He moved here when I got picked up, so we could raise the boys as a family. Adam is my best friend but marriage just wasn’t the best thing for us. I love him though, he’ll always have a huge place in my life.” 

Diana gave her a warm yet sympathetic smile. “Well, I am glad you two are still close and working things out to be the best parents.” She said, impressed by the maturity on display.

Gunny gently nudged Amy. “At least your kids will be here to cheer you on, you’re pretty freaking badass.” Gunny looked up to the returning forward. 

Amy shrugged, blushing a little at the praise. She glanced back up the field towards Becky and sighed softly. She really wanted to talk to her again, to maybe fix what was broken. There was something so exciting about seeing Becky leading the backline, being a general and great leader on and off the pitch. 

“Becky is the real badass, I think we’re all going to work well together. She speaks highly of you two.” Amy said, giving her two new friends a warm grin. “Now come on, let’s show coach what we can do.” 

\---

Becky had intentionally taken a quick shower, doing her best to avoid Amy without seeming like she was. The practice had gone great and the team seemed to be blending well together. Becky was positive with her and Kelley leading the backline they would be successful. Becky had even tried to cultivate some time to work with Abby Smith so that they could build some good chemistry. 

She had just grabbed her back and was heading to the car when she felt something or rather somebody run straight into her leg. 

"Aunty Becky!" 

Becky glanced down, a smile tugging at her lips as she saw Ryan clinging to her leg. Luke wasn't far behind him and collided with her other leg. She gently ruffled their hair and knelt down to give them a hug. 

"Hey, boys, where's your daddy?" Becky glanced around and then spotted Adam struggling to carry a thing of roses and big posterboard that the kids had decorated for their mom. She arched a brow but forced a smile. "Hey, Adam." She greeted, trying to be as civil as she could. 

Adam stared at Becky for a moment, his gaze searching and almost making her uncomfortable. She shifted a little bit in her place trying to figure out why he was sizing her up before he finally spoke. 

"Sorry they ran into you, the boys are looking for their mother. Have you seen Amy?" Adam asked softly. He knew all about what had gone down with his ex-wife and the soccer captain. Truth be told, Adam actually liked Becky and her personality. So long as she was good to Amy and his sons, he didn't care. 

Becky nodded her head towards the locker room. "She's in there, let me make sure everybody is decent and then you can go inside." Becky offered, standing up. She made sure all of her players were dressed before telling Amy that she had some visitors. 

Amy was happy to see her boys, she gratefully took the flowers from Adam. "Thank you, guys." She scooped up Luke and Ryan, hugging them tightly. She was beyond thankful for them believing in her. She knew she hadn't always been in the best mood while she was recovering but she had done her best. 

Becky watched the little family and started to walk away when she felt Adam grab her by the wrist. She turned to look at him, a question on the tip of her tongue. She really hated being grabbed by people against her will.

"Wait I have something for you too." Adam released her wrist and lead the way back out to his car. He didn't even wait to make sure that she was in fact following after him.

The defender hesitantly followed him wondering if he was going to yell at her to stay away from his family. She really didn't feel in the mood to be in a pissing contest, let alone over the girl who broke her heart. She understood Amy's reasoning, but that still didn't alleviate the sting. 

"I wanted to thank you," Adam said, pulling out a second bouquet of flowers from the back of his car. He held them out to Becky expectantly, giving her an earnest smile. 

“You got me flowers?” The woman asked a bit uncertain, slowly taking the flowers from him. They were nice at least, not roses but different colors that all seemed to blend together well.

Adam frowned a little bit at her tone of voice. “Is that weird, I mean to give you flowers? Do you not like these? I should have gone with the chocolate.” Adam rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. 

For a moment Becky just stared at him, eyes wide. A look of gay panic entered her eyes, she was hoping to God that Adam wasn't trying to ask her out.

“The florist told me they represented fresh starts and friendships. It’s springtime now, it’s all about rebirth and starting fresh.” Adam explained, noting the look on her face. Truth be told he had just been trying to be nice. He was doubting himself now, but he was trying to show his appreciation.

“Oh, they’re lovely flowers, thank you, Adam. But why did you get me flowers, I understand why you got Amy flowers, but me?” Becky was confused by the man’s gesture but forced a tight-lipped smile on her face.

"I know this is going to sound weird, but thank you for bringing Amy to this team. Thank you for putting her first, loving somebody can be hard, but Amy is worth it. You make her really happy"

Becky was stunned, trying to defend the fact that she wasn't in love with Amy. "I don't know, we aren't...I mean me and her, we're barely talking." Becky insisted stuttering over her words. The defender had assumed that Adam and Amy had gotten back together, so she was a little uneasy with the direction the conversation was going. 

Adam snorted at that and rolled his eyes. "Rebecca Sauerbrunn you can probably fool your teammates, maybe even Amy, but you can not fool me. I know the look in somebody's eye when they're in love with Amy." 

"I am not in love with her Adam." Becky protested, but when he gave her a no-nonsense look that screamed 'cut the crap', she sighed. "I do care about her a lot, but you're the one she wants to be with. I don't blame her, for wanting to keep her family together." Becky didn't fault Amy for that, she could understand even if it hurt. 

Adam quickly shook his head, almost unable to breathe from laughing so hard. "You think me and Arod are still together? God no! She's one of my best friends, probably one of the greatest loves of my life. She gave me my sons and for that I am grateful, but we aren't together."

Becky bit her lower lip, to keep herself from asking the obvious question of 'why weren't they together?' This was a lot of information to take in and she had to take a moment to collect herself. Why was Adam trying to give her a pep talk to get with Amy.

"Look Sauerbrunn, Amy is stubborn and independent as hell, she thinks she can take on the world by herself and win. Honestly, she probably could, that's how amazing of a woman she is. However, she is crazy about you." Adam explained, trying to get Becky to see. He had thought that she knew how Amy felt, but apparently, that wasn't the case He was beginning to think he needed to have a talk with his ex-wife. 

Becky looked him in the eyes, trying to figure him out. "Why are you telling me this Adam?"

"Because you and Amy both deserve to be happy." He insisted, looking back to the locker room that Amy and the boys were coming out of. 

"She picked you." Becky insisted, glancing back to Amy who also looked puzzled at Becky and Adam conversing with each other. 

Adam sighed softly and shook his head. "Maybe she did at that moment because she was scared, she wanted something familiar. I can admit she made the wrong decision, but she's human. We all make mistakes Becky." He knew it wasn't his place to tell, that Becky and Amy would have to have that conversation. "Look maybe you two need to sit down and hash some shit out."

Becky felt like the air was being sucked out of her chest, she felt on the verge of a panic attack. "I can't do that right now Adam." She needed to get out of there before she broke down. She gave a weak wave to Amy, Ryan, and Luke, before excusing herself. 

The soccer captain all but sprinted to her own car, throwing the bouquet in the back. She needed some clarity and to talk her feelings out with somebody level head. She decided to conference call Alyssa and Pinoe, she knew they'd be able to help her sort her feelings out. 

Amy blinked as she watched Becky speed out of the parking lot. "What was that all about?" She asked Adam, wondering what he had said. "Did you give her flowers?"

Adam nodded his head. "I did give her flowers, I was trying to give her an olive branch." He explained, not wanting to lie to Amy. Honesty and communication were a big deal for him and Amy. 

"An olive branch for what?" Amy watched the tail lights of Becky's vehicle disappear and started buckling her sons into her own car. "What did you say to her."

"Just that you were single and ready to mingle with her again." Adam gave her a shit-eating grin.

Amy groaned and buried her face in her hands. "You didn't! Adam, now she really is going to avoid me." This was not how she wanted things to go. She knew that her ex-husband's heart was in the right place, but she felt like it put her in an awkward position.

Adam placed a hand on his ex's shoulder sympathetically. He hadn't meant to make Amy upset, his heart had been in the right place. "Well at least she knows, maybe you two can actually talk now." He offered weakly.

"I wasn't ready to do that yet Adam! I was going to try and warm her up to the idea of being friends again, maybe approach it in a month or so." Amy wasn't sure she was completely ready to have a brutally honest and open conversation with Becky. Amy knew that she had hurt Becky when she pushed her away, but having that conversation meant being vulnerable with her own emotions. "You are literally the worst Adam." She muttered, though her words held no real bite.

Adam shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah but you love me anyway. Now come on, our sons want pizza and you look like you could use a friend." 

"You better buy me a beer." Amy climbed into the car, feeling a little better after practice. The thing with Becky was awkward but at least she had her family and she was back on the pitch. It was a start at least, a place to build from. She just hoped that she could maybe make her way back into Becky's life piece by piece.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which an overly snuggly KO, tries to push her friends together. Hopefully Amy and Becky can get their shit together and talk stuff out like adults.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Truth told I was really surprised by the reaction to the story, I didn't think anybody would want to read a story about these two nerds falling in love. I am glad you like it though and that you're all interested in reading it. Please leave me some love, comments and kudos, I live for your words of affirmation. 
> 
> School is crazy but I am working hard, 23 days until I walk stage hopefully and get my BA.
> 
> \- Becks

Becky had spent a week now trying to adjust to Amy being around again. She spent a lot of time talking to both Pinoe and Alyssa, hoping that her best friends could help her sort through the muddled and twisted feelings going on in her head. She was feeling unsure of herself which was surprising because normally she was one of the most solid people on the pitch. They call her a brick wall all by herself. 

Except at the moment, she was feeling more like swiss cheese than a brick wall. Her talk with Adam had thrown her for a loop, she hadn't expected him to try and push her towards Amy. 

Pinoe and Alyssa had both told her to give Amy another shot, to allow the forward to try and earn a place back in Becky's life. Still, there was this nagging feeling of hesitation and distrust, that Becky felt towards Amy. She wasn't sure she could handle even really being friends with the blonde, but she could try at least. 

Then on top of everything, since she was the captain, Laura Harvey expected Becky to hold team building sessions. Kelley had offered to help host it, the brunette had rambled about throwing the best parties at Standford and Sky Blue. Becky wasn't sure it was the best way to go, she did not have any better ideas though, so she let Kelley go ahead.

Kelley had decided to throw a party at the house she was renting with some of the other girls. Becky was running a few minutes late, she had stopped to pick up a few drinks and some last minute items. Apparently, Amy was late to the party, because she was waking up at the same time Becky was. 

"Hey Bec, do you need some help?" Amy asked, noticing the way Becky was struggling with her hands full of party items. 

Becky jumped about a foot in the air, not expecting Amy to be as close as she was. "Shit." She cursed, trying not to drop all the items.

Amy stifled a giggle and tiled her head. "Are you okay, I am sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." She was trying and failing to hide her amusement.

The captain simply gave her a stern look and shook her head. "It's fine if you could just open the door that'd be great." She said, keeping her tone civil even if being close to Amy had her feeling uneasy.

Amy nodded, moving past Becky to open the door to Kelley's house. The party was already in full swing, different members of the Utah Royals dancing and having a good time. 

Kelley was already in the middle of a competitive match of beer pong with Gunny and was apparently winning if her boasting was anything to go by. 

Becky set her stuff down, taking a moment to drink in the sight of her teammates. She wanted so badly for all of them to feel safe and cared for, the sport had a tendency to break people down. These were her people and she cared about them. She wanted what was best for them.

Amy was watching Becky, she could almost feel how loud Becky's brain was being. "Do you want to dance?" Amy asked, looking hopeful. She wanted to spend time and win back pieces of their relationship.

The answer was already on the tip of Becky's tongue, she knew she needed to refuse Amy's request but she couldn't bring herself to do it. It had been over a year since she had been close with Amy, over a year since she had felt the girl in her arms. 

"Just one dance," Becky said, her voice shaking. 

Amy's face lit up, and she held out her hand waiting for Becky to take it before she led her to the makeshift dance floor in the middle of KO's living room. As they began to dance, Amy couldn't help but smile. It felt nice to have Becky close, she could smell Becky's perfume and it was making her deliciously dizzy. 

Becky, on the other hand, felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest. She was torn between wanting to push Amy away and wanting to pull her impossibly closer. 

"This is nice," Amy said, trying to get Becky to talk to her, even just a little bit.

Becky swallowed hard, tears pricking at the corner of her eyes. "It's unfair you know? You come back and it's more painful than I thought it would be."

A frown crossed Amy's features. "Do you want me to leave? I can try to get traded." She had wanted Becky to open up, but she had a feeling that the conversation would be a rough one.

Becky shook her head. "That's not what I want Amy. I know it isn't logical to be angry that you pushed me away, you were hurting and you needed space. You needed stability, I just don't understand why you would not let me be your rock."

"I am sorry Becky, I know I made the wrong choice. I had worked so hard to come back and then it all got taken from me. I hurt you and I am sorry." Amy cupped Becky's face, wanting the girl to really look at her and hear her apology. "I was wrong Becky, and I know that I hurt you."

Becky flinched at her touch, the pain still etched onto her face. "I understand, I mean I'm trying to."

"Can we at least try to be friends? Can I have one more chance?" Amy asked, hope evident in her tone. She wanted desperately to be more than friends with Becky, but she could at least do that. 

Becky hesitated and pulled away from her, no longer wanting to dance. "I don't know Amy, I don't know if I can be just friends with you. Adam told me I could lie to myself about how I feel... I think I need some time before I am ready to rebuild whatever this is going to be." She said gesturing between the two of them. 

Amy tried to play off the hurt that Becky's words caused, but she knew that rushing the healing between them wouldn't help. "Okay, you take as much time as you need. I'll be here Becky, I won't leave again." Amy promised, before stepping back out of Becky's way.

Becky stared at her for a moment longer and then turned heading to Kelley's backyard. She needed to clear her head, she felt conflicted. Kelley staggered out a few minutes later, clearly looking for Becky. 

Becky had taken a seat on a pool chair and was staring out absent-mindedly at the mountains in the distance. She barely even moved as Kelley plopped down right in front of her. Kelley snuggled into Becky's side, gently poking at the captain's cheek. 

"You can't run away from your problems Rebecca." Kelley slurred, she was trying to give good advice despite being slightly intoxicated. 

"I am not running away from my problems." Becky insisted, not caring about Kelley trying to koala-bear her way into a cuddle session. She was used to Kelley's antics. "How badly did Gunny beat you?"

Kelley snorted. "She didn't beat me, I'm the beer pong champ." She insisted before withering under Becky's look of disbelief. "Okay so she won, but I got distracted. Anyways this isn't about me, this about you and how you have the hots for Arod because she's totally a hot rod." Kelley wiggled her eyebrows playfully.

Becky groaned and shook her head. "No more drinks for you." She knew that Kelley was trying to help, so she gently patted the girl's back. "Amy and I were together for almost a two months before she tore her ACL. Did you know that?"

Kelley shook her head, blinking in surprise. She knew that Amy and Becky had always drifted towards each other in a weird way but never that they had been romantically linked for that long. 

"Did you tap that?" Kelley asked, after a moment. A hint of a smirk was tugging at Kelley's lips, she was honestly curious if her captain even knew how to be seductive and sexual.

Becky glared at Kelley and lightly pinched her arm. "That is none of your business." She muttered a blush settling on her cheeks. "If you must know, no we didn't. I really was falling for her though, god I wish things would have been different. I wish she had never got injured and that she had been okay."

Kelley gave her a sympathetic look and rubbed at Becky's shoulder. "She pushed you away after she tore her ACL? She didn't really want to talk to anybody." Kelley knew it wasn't much comfort, but she knew that it was hard to be around the game when you couldn't play.

The captain sighed and buried her face in her hands. She wanted to pretend like things were okay, she wanted to forgive Amy and pretend like they were happy and best buddies again. 

"Bec, you need to be honest with her about your feelings. Maybe just talk to her?" Kelley suggested, laying her head on Becky's shoulder. The younger defender wanted to be helpful and she figured that Becky needed a good cuddle. 

It was then that Amy walked out, she took in the sight of Kelley cuddling with Becky and raised a brow. "Hey um, Gunny was looking for you Kel." She said unable to look at them. She had clearly assumed the worst by their cuddling.

"Okay, I think you two need to talk anyway." Kelley pulled away from Becky and gave Amy a smile before heading inside. 

"So you and Kelley huh?" Amy asked after a moment, it made sense as to why Becky wouldn't let her back in.

Becky looked confused before she figured out what Amy was trying to say. "Oh um no, that's not a thing. Kelley is overly affectionate as you know, but no... that isn't a thing. She's not my type." Becky explained shaking her head. The idea of her and Kelley together was actually comical.

"What is your type then?" Amy couldn't deny the hint of jealousy that had flared up when she thought Kelley had poached the girl she cared about. 

Becky chuckled and stood up. "My type is a fighter, who always fights their way back from the brink. My type is a girl who is passionate, funny, loyal, devoted, and caring. A girl whose heart shines as brightly as her hair does." Becky stared down into Amy's eyes, wanting to kiss her. She was still angry, still, hurt but she had missed being close to her. 

"Becky.." Amy's mind was going a million miles a minute, half of it begging for Becky to kiss her, the other half unsure. 

Becky leaned in and pressed a light kiss to Amy's temple. "I want to be your friend again, I know I said I wasn't sure.... but I don't want to lose this. I still need time, but maybe we can grab a coffee." Becky offered, feeling like that was fair enough. Her talk with Kelley had put a lot of things into perspective. 

"Deal." Amy felt breathless, almost like she was drowning in Becky's presence. 

"Alright then Arod, I'll see you tomorrow." Becky pulled away from her, this time feeling a lot lighter than she had in over a year.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arod takes another step in recovery and proves she really is the come back kid.

_Nothing is impossible, the word itself says "I'm possible." - Audrey Hepburn_

_Work hard in silence, let your success be your noise - Anonymous._

"Are you ready for this?" 

Amy Rodriguez looked up from where she was packing her gear bag and smiled at Adam, nodding her head slowly. "Yeah I think I am ready for this, it is just coffee right?" She was trying to sound as nervous as she actually was. She was sure part of her would probably be sweating up a storm if she hadn't been wearing deodorant. 

Adam snorted, smiling at his ex-wife. "Yeah it is just coffee, but it's coffee with the girl of your dreams." He teased, giving her a friendly wink. He was trying to help Amy break the tension, he didn't want her freaking out over something minor. 

Amy rolled her eyes, wanting to flip him off but there were two little boys in the room that were waiting to give her a hug goodbye. "Thanks for watching the kids Adam, are you sure you're okay to bring them to the stadium later?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

One of the things that she really appreciated about her ex, was his willingness to put the kids first and to be supportive even when it cut into his own day. Even though they were separated, he always made sure the kids got time with Amy and were present at as many of her soccer games as possible. He never complained and he was genuinely a good guy and one of the few people in her life that she knew she could count on. 

"The kids will be there with their jerseys on Ames. Now, get going, Becky won't appreciate you standing her up, I know how you both get on game day." Adam gave her a reassuring nod, doing his best to be supportive. 

Amy smiled and then knelt down to give her two little boys a hug. "Be good for daddy boys, Ryan and Luke make sure you give him lots of snuggles," Amy said, kissing each of them on the forehead. 

"Are you gonna see Aunt Becky?" Ryan asked, his eyes wide. He hurried over to his art table and plucked a card giving it to Amy to give to Becky. "Tell her I said 'luck'." 

"I will most definitely tell her you said that kiddo." Amy ruffled his hair and then stood up. "Thank you again, Adam, I'll see you guys after the game." She waved goodbye to her boys and then scooped up her gear bag and headed out to her car. 

\---  
Becky had gotten to the coffee shop early, the Royals had a game later in the morning so she figured she could squeeze in some time with her and Amy before they both had to head to the stadium. Becky was feeling nervous, the evidence was that she was tapping her foot. 

She wanted to see what she could salvage out of her and Amy's relationship, but she was still hesitant to put her heart back out there. As captain she was responsible for creating a drama-free environment for her team, she didn't want to screw things up on the off chance things went horribly wrong between her and Amy. 

Becky liked to have a plan, a backup plan, and then a backup plan for the first one. She was organized and methodical but yet anytime that Amy was involved it felt like all her plans went out the window. It was hard to trust that things would go smoothly without organization but there was something freeing about also following Amy's lead and going with the flow.

The team captain was so busy being stuck in her head that she didn't actually hear Amy approach until the blonde was standing right in front of her. Amy gently tapped the table in front of Becky, giving her a smile when she finally got her attention.

"Hey you stranger, is this seat taken?" Amy asked, waiting for Becky's okay before she sat across from her. 

"It's nice to see you, Amy, what's that?" Becky asked motioning to the piece of paper in Amy's hand. 

Amy handed over the paper and chuckled. "Apparently Ryan drew you a picture at his art table today, he wanted me to tell you 'luck'," Amy said, watching Becky's reaction.

Becky stared at the little boy's picture and smiled, it was clearly down by a kid but she could sort of make out what it was supposed to be. There was a stick figure with a square around its arm, which she figured was the captain's armband and a triangle which she assumed was a cape. The stick finger was holding a rope attached to a vaguely looking cat-like thing. At the bottom of the page. scribbled in block kid-letters was 'Super Captain Becky'. 

Becky felt something tug at her heartstrings and quickly cleared her throat as to not get choked up. "Well, I guess Ryan is going to be quite the artist. I can tell he has real skill." She said, knowing that Adam had probably helped him with the spelling. "I am going to have to give him a hug, this is really sweet of him. I can totally tell that he worked hard, I'll put it in my locker."

Amy smiled, trying not to internally swoon at Becky's reaction. "He loves you." 

Becky blushed and shrugged. "I probably bribed him with candy." 

"Or maybe just maybe you're a good person and he knows it," Amy replied, before breaking her attention away from Becky to look at the coffee menu. She didn't want to push too much when she could tell that Becky was getting uncomfortable. "So coffee's on me, what would you like Broon?" 

Thankful for the change in subject, Becky followed her gaze. "Maybe just a caramel apple cider, it's been kind of chilly today." Becky mused she had spent the morning doing some reading on her front porch while checking out the mountains. The mountains were probably the best part of living in Utah, that and the management team had really gone to bat for players and coaches. 

"You got it Bec," Amy said giving her a reassuring nod before she went over and got them the drinks. 

The defender watched Amy, paying close attention to see if the girl was favoring her knee at all. Laura Harvey wanted an update on if Becky thought Amy was ready to play at least fifty minutes. 

A few minutes later Amy came back and set Becky's drink down and slide her a banana-nut muffin. Becky growled playfully, muttering that Amy was going to make her slow on the pitch. 

"Speaking of the pitch, I am excited to be playing today. I finally get to be in the starting eleven." Amy said she had heard that much from the coach. 

"How's your knee feeling?" Becky asked, jumping on the opportunity to hear it from the source herself.

Amy arched a brow. "Depends on who's asking, my friend or my captain?" She questioned, staring at Becky from across the table.

Becky folded her arms against her chest and gave Amy a playfully stern look in return. "I would hope the answer would be an honest one either way.

Amy shrugged her shoulders. "I think I will feel a whole heck of a lot better once we get our first win and when I score my first goal." 

Becky knew it was hard to make it back from injuries, but if anybody could do it, it would be Amy. "You totally got this A-rod, you'll do it when it's time. There is no rush." 

"Tell that to my mind." Amy tried to hide the bitterness in her voice. She had been working insanely hard, putting in long hours in the morning, so she could come back stronger than ever. She did her best not to complain but she was itching to prove that she could still be fast and still be effective out on the pitch. 

Becky reached across the table and grabbed Amy's hand. "Listen to me Amy, you are going to go out there and scores tons of goals in your career. You have already done so much recovery, I know you're hungry for success, but don't hate the process. Time heals stuff, you just have to let it."

"Does time heal everything?" Amy asked, a deeper meaning behind her words. 

Becky gave her hand a squeeze and shot a half little smirk in her direction. "I'll let you know as soon as I find out Rodriguez." 

"But aren't there somethings people just never seem to come back from?" Amy was trying to feel her out, trying to get a handle on how Becky really felt about her. 

"You know Amy, you're the queen of comebacks, the comeback kid if you will. I think by now I have learned not to count you out. You don't bet against Amy Rodriguez and expect to win." Becky said, hoping that her words would at least provide some comfort to the forward.

Amy blushed, unsure of what to even say. She settled for trying to remind Becky that they should head to the stadium. "Fine, come on Broon, we are going to have to get going. I for one, don't want to have coach Harvey trade me again like she did in Seattle." Amy joked, grabbing her coffee to go. 

\----  
It was a couple hours later in the game near the forty-eighth minute that Amy managed to sink a goal. Becky who had been watching and orchestrating her team's defense couldn't help but feel her heart bursting with pride. She wanted to join her teammates as the flocked to Amy, but she held back wanting to just give Amy her moment. 

Amy meanwhile felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders the second she chipped the keeper and saw the soccer ball go into the back of the net. It felt right somehow and she glanced at the Rio Tinto stadium stands to smile at her boys who were cheering for her. Adam even gave her a thumbs up, before jerking his head in the direction of midfield. 

Amy followed his direction and glanced to where Becky stood, watching her. Amy could tell by the look Becky was giving her that her captain was proud and honestly Amy wanted to run to her and kiss her but held back at least for the moment. She had earned her way back on the pitch, she was still having to earn her way back into Becky's heart. 

She recalled the defender's words from early about trusting the process. She had made a step in the process of coming back, and she felt like she had to make way for more growth in her own journey. 

Amy lifted her hand holding out four fingers to Becky, before tapping them on her chest and over her heart. She hoped Becky would understand her little shout-out.

Becky tried to hide her grin as she did the same to Amy, but instead of just tapping once she did it twice in way of her own shout out to Amy's number. Then the defender turned and headed back to the defensive third of the field to get ready for the next play. 

_I left the light in my heart on in case you ever wanted to come back home - Lennon Hodson_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the reason you get two quotes at the beginning and one at the end if because I forgot to add a quote in one of the other chapters and I feel like all three of the quotes really fit this one. Anyways between two of my stories, I wrote like 4,000 words today, go Becks. 
> 
> Anyways give me some love and kudos/comments.
> 
> \- Becks


	5. chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy gets invited back into camp

_Anchor (noun): a person or thing that provides stability or confidence in an otherwise uncertain situation_

Amy stared at the email in front of her, excitement and fear both twisting in her gut. After two long years, she was finally being called back into the United States Women’s National Team training camp. It had been probably the longest two years of her life, but it felt good at the same time. She was ready to get back onto the pitch with the gals and wear the crest again.

Things were a lot different since she was on the pitch last, she longed to just get out there and be the best version of herself. She wanted to prove that she still deserved it, that she was worthy of the call-up. There was a bit of fear nipping at her heels though, she didn’t want to make a fool out of herself. She wasn’t as fast as some of the younger players like Pugh or McCaskill. 

As if sensing her feelings, her phone began to ring with a call from one of her best friends, Tobin Heath. Amy smiled, thankful that her new kids' connection was still strong with Tobin.

“Hey Tobin, long time no talk.” Amy greeted as she swiped up to answer the call.

“Hey yourself Arod. How’s it going? I saw you got announced for the June Friendlies, I can’t wait to see you.” The midfielder greeted, clearly excited.

Amy could hear Tobin’s smile through the phone, the girl’s positive energy was contagious. "I can't wait to see you either, I'm a little nervous to be fair." 

"Why's that Amy?" Tobin asked, her voice filling with concern. "I mean I'm coming back too from energy, but I think we'll both do great. The team needs us." Tobin said hoping she could pep Amy up a little bit. 

"I am worried I won't be fast enough," Amy admitted quietly. Jill Ellis was known for kicking people off the team for stupid reasons and Amy didn’t want to get cut.

Tobin scoffed. "You're super fast, I've been watching your games. You will do great, I promise. You're the comeback kid." 

Amy sighed and stared at the email once again, it was always an honor to be called into camp. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’ve made comebacks before, what is one more?” 

Tobin laughed again, causing Amy to grin. “Now I’ve been hearing some rumors about your and one of our center backs, care to comment?” Tobin asked she had heard through the grapevine about Becky and Amy. 

Amy groaned at Tobin’s tone, knowing her friend was teasing her. “There isn’t much to tell, we’re working on being friends.” 

“So that four your flashed wasn’t for her when you scored the goal?” Tobin asked smugly, she had seen it live and in person. She just hadn’t been able to ask about it at the time.

“You’re the worst Tobin, but yes it was for her. I like her a lot.” Amy said, finally giving in. There was no use denying how she felt about Becky. Amy had mentioned it to Tobin and Lauren Holiday before, but after her ACL tear, she hadn’t really mentioned Becky all that much to them.

“I so knew it, well she will be in camp so maybe you guys can have some quality time together,” Tobin suggested before there was some background noise. “I gotta go Ames, but trust me, it’s gonna be awesome.”

“Bye Tobs, say hi to Press for me.” Amy teased her back before hanging up. She then moved from her desk, to go get ready for practice and make her two boys a snack. She felt a little better after her talk with Tobin, and more like the confident woman she was.

\---  
“I am going to miss you guys while you’re in camp,” Kelley complained, she had been the one to drive both Amy and Becky to the airport, that way they wouldn’t both have to take their cars. 

“I’ll miss you too kid, it’s not a good backline without you O’Hara,” Becky assured her, knowing it bothered Kelley greatly to have to sit out another camp.

“Yeah KO, take care of the team while we’re gone,” Amy said giving her friend a tight hug, before taking her luggage out of the back of Kelley’s car. 

Kelley pouted as she watched them go, but helped them finish unloading the car. “Take care of each other, use protection.” 

Becky crinkled her nose and gently hit Kelley’s arm. “Stop.” She whined, wondering how she got Kelley as her teammate. “You’re silly.”

Amy was bright red and gently hit Kelley’s other arm. “Keep your mind out of the gutter.” 

“I only say that because if you guys need a third, I volunteer.” Kelley teased, enjoying being able to mess with them. 

“Goodbye O’Hara,” Becky muttered, grabbing her suitcase and walking into the airport to get away from Kelley and her antics. 

Kelley burst into giggles and smirked at them, watching Becky walk away. “Be good to her Arod, I’ll know if you break her heart in camp.” She warned growing serious.

Amy waved her off and glanced to where Becky was disappearing into the airport terminal. “I don’t plan on breaking her heart again.” She promised, waving goodbye to Kelley before she walked into the terminal to catch up with Becky.

“She really is something isn’t she?” Becky mumbled, slowing down a couple steps so that Amy could catch up to her as they walked through security. 

“Life would sure be a lot more boring without Kelley,” Amy said in agreement. She was excited to spend some time with Becky, but also nervous for the alone time. It was crazy the way that the defender could send butterflies exploding into Amy’s chest with just a simple look. 

Becky watched Amy for a moment and then smiled at her. “Life would be a lot more boring without you.” She gently bumped shoulders with Amy, giving her a meaningful look.

Amy blushed and gently bumped her back, trying to ignore the way that her heart was thumping in her chest. Becky just had some kind of crazy effect on her.  
“So are you excited for camp?” Becky asked as they made their way to the gate to wait for their flight.

Amy nodded her head and sighed. “A bit nervous, but really excited at the same time. My first camp in two years.” It had taken her a lot longer to get back but she was excited. She was also excited because it meant time with Becky. 

“Do you think maybe we could go out, maybe on a date. I mean I totally understand if you don’t want too, or like if you want to focus solely on soccer.” Amy said beginning to ramble a little bit. 

Becky leaned over and kissed her cheek affectionately. “I’d love to go out on a date with you. You’re cute when you’re flustered, but it’s just me Amy.” Becky promised, trying to calm her down. 

Amy seemed to flush even more once she felt Becky’s lips on her cheek, but it made her a lot happier. “Cool.” She said leaning into Becky, while they waited for their flight. 

“Hey, Amy?” 

Amy glanced at Becky, seeing the captain looking a little shy and unsure of herself. It was an unusual sight so it had Amy a bit concerned for the older girl. “What is it?” She asked. 

“I wanted to tell you I am sorry,” Becky replied, she knew that she hadn’t exactly made things easy for Amy when the forward had come back. “I was really cold to you when you first got here. I was hurting but that was no excuse.”

Amy shrugged and just snuggled into Becky’s side. “We all hurt people sometimes, I forgive you though. We can just let it go and focus on a future where we are both happy.”

“I would like that, a future together where we’re both happy. I think we can make a way for a future that’s bright like that.” Becky replied. She knew there would be struggles, but she felt like they could work towards it together. "Now get some rest, we have a long flight and I have a feeling Jill will be all too eager to kick our butts." 

_"If opportunity doesn't knock build a door" - Milton Berle_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to get this chapter out to you in honor of Utah defeating the great evil that is North Carolina Courage, and also because Utah got Press. :) 
> 
> I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far.


	6. Chapter 6

_"Bad things are going to happen in your life, people will hurt you, disrespect you, play with your feelings... But you shouldn't use that as an excuse to fail to go on and to hurt the whole world. You will end up hurting yourself and wasting your precious time. Don't always think of revenging, just let things go and move on with your life. Remember everything happens for a reason and when one door closes, the other opens for you with new blessings and love." - Unknown_

The hotel that the national team was staying at for the June camp was nice. There was lots of rooms, good work out equipment, and a nice garden with a pool in the middle. Becky appreciated the aesthetic of the place, it was beautiful and peaceful, a perfect place to train and just hang out. 

Both she and Amy had arrived at the same time as the rest of the players and all of them were being shown around before filing into the lobby. Jill was giving out room assignments, the coach looking a bit frazzled as she clearly had no game plan. 

As captain of the team, Becky felt like it was her job to organize and try to get her fellow players in order. She helped hand out room assignments and was confused when she found that she was going to be rooming with Amy. Not that she minded, she just hadn't expected it. 

It was far more usual for Jill to pair Becky in a room with Alyssa Naeher or Carli Lloyd. She turned to look at Amy and gave her a sort of reserved smile. 

"I guess we're roomies," Becky said holding out the key to Amy with a warm nod.

Amy was confused as well since normally she was roomed with Tobin or one of the other forwards. Instead, she simply just took the keys and gave Becky a once over. "Well, I suppose I could do worse for a roommate." She joked, bumping shoulders with her as she picked up their gear and headed to the elevator.

"I've been told I'm a great roommate," Becky replied smugly, following Amy into the elevator. They were finally in a good place and Becky was hoping that they could just keep moving forward instead of falling into an awkward situation. 

Once they were in the room, Becky nodded to the beds. "You can have your choice of whatever one you want. I'm not all that concerned about it. I can take the one you want least." 

Amy was touched by the selflessness Becky was displaying but just chuckled. "We could push the beds together and have a bigger bed." She joked, she was teasing her of course. 

Becky's cheek seemed to heat up with the implication, she wasn't sure she was exactly ready to be sharing a bed with Amy. She thought about it though, wondering what it would be like to wake up with Amy in her arms. 

"Hey Becks, you okay?" Amy nudged her, trying to break her out of whatever mental place she was in. "I was just messing with you, you don't have to cuddle with me. I'll take the bed by the window."

"I wouldn't be opposed to some cuddling. I like being close to you." Becky's voice was small, shaking even but she pushed on. "Maybe we could cuddle and watch one of the shows." 

The forward smile back at the defender and reached out for her hand. "Sure I'd like the sound of that. I could use a little nap before the team practice later." Amy sat her gear down on her bed and then still holding onto Becky's hand pulled the taller girl into a hug.

Becky hugged her tightly, a sigh of contentment escaping her. It felt right to have Amy in her arms "Alright let's cuddle then and take a nap."

The defender laid down, opening her arms so that Amy could be her little spoon. She handed the girl the remote, and sighed, burying her face into Amy's shoulder, letting the girl's presence lull her into a peaceful sleep.

Amy slept for about an hour and a half before she got up. She slowly untangled herself from the warmth of Becky's arms and headed to the bathroom to freshen up. She looked at her phone and saw she had a few messages from Tobin asking her to hang out. Amy smiled and told Tobin that she would meet her down in the garden. 

She finished freshening up and sent a quick video message to her sons, wanting them to know that she was thinking of them and loved them. Traveling away from them was always hard, but she knew Adam would be taking good care of them. She missed her kids like crazy but she knew that they would be proud of her for working hard. 

Walking down to the garden, she saw Tobin as usual with a ball at her feet just kicking it around and playing. In a lot of ways, Tobin reminded her of a kid who never really stopped moving. Her best friend had a smile that could light up the whole room. 

"Hey, Heath." She greeted, lifting a hand to wave at Tobin.

Tobin stopped kicking the ball and smiled at Amy. "Hey, so how is it rooming with Becky?" She asked, wiggling her eyebrows playfully.

Amy scoffed and shook her head. "We were just taking a nap. It's nice though, I mean I think we'll get to talk and work on whatever is between us. I am still nervous about being here, it's been so long."

Tobin kicked the ball towards her, watching as Amy quickly reacted and stopped it. "Seems like you'll do just fine to me. You know Becky is crazy about you, I am sure it will all work out."

"Yeah, but what if it doesn't?" Amy inquired, unable to shake some of her nerves. She didn't want to fuck things up with Becky, she really liked her. She had set out this season to be the comeback kid to score goals and to win back Becky's heart. 

Tobin thought for a moment, trying to come up with a good analogy that Amy would understand. "You know when you're going one on one with another player and you just let a shot rip. Like you kick it and for a moment your breath catches as you watch it sail towards the goal? It's like that I think, you are just going to have to trust the process. A lot of time the ball goes in the back of the net sometimes it doesn't, that's life. But I've seen Becky try to goal keep, the ball is going in." Tobin added the last part as a joke, trying to lighten the situation.

Amy laughed softly. "Yeah goalkeeping is not her strong suit, but there is no other defender I want protecting my team." Amy smiled, feeling a little better with the whole situation after talking to Tobin. "When did you get so wise?"

"When I started dating Press, I had to read a lot more to keep up with her. She's super smart." Tobin said chuckling as she thought of her own girlfriend. "When you gonna ask Becky to be your girl?"

"I don't know if we're there yet. You know how Becky is about processing stuff and needing things to go to game plan. She's a planner and I don't want to just spring things on her." Amy explained, but she did want to be with Becky officially again. 

Tobin gave a nod of understanding and stole the soccer ball back from Amy. "Well maybe encourage her in that direction. Let her think it was her idea, but maybe give her a nudge. Let her know what your intentions are." Tobin knew that her captain respected honesty and directness. 

Tobin's idea was actually a good one, and Amy smiled. "Thanks, I think I'll actually do that." It meant a lot to Amy that Tobin was so supportive of her. 

The other forward beamed at her. "I am known to have a good idea every once and awhile." Tobin joked softly, tapping her head, before nutmegging Amy and giving her a smirk. "Now come on, the field is open and I wanna play."

Back in the hotel room, Becky was just waking up. She reached out a hand to feel around for Amy, letting out a noise of disappointment when her hand met the cold bed sheets. She opened her eyes, a frown on her face as she realized Amy wasn't there. She got up from the bed, wondering where her roommate was. She grabbed her phone checking it to see she had a message from Amy telling her she had gone out with Tobin.

Becky texted her back, before sending yet another text asking the girl to go out for dinner with her after practice. Becky was getting a little tired of the back and forth, she felt like maybe they needed to talk about where they were exactly. She wanted to be with Amy, maybe make things official but still go at a nice and easy pace. 

Cuddling with the girl had been nice, and Becky definitely wanted some more of that. She wanted to be happy with Amy, to go on cute little dates, to be part of Amy's family. Amy was a packaged deal, she came with kids and an ex-husband who was super involved in her life still. 

Becky wanted to make sure she was ready for that, that if she and Amy continued getting serious that it wouldn't hurt the kids. In her own way Becky did love those kids, but actually being involved in their lives actively was different. It wasn't just her and Amy, their actions had consequences and them being together had impacts on those kids. Becky just wanted to make sure they would be good impacts and not bad ones. 

A knock at the door startled Becky out of her train out thought and she went to open it, finding Alyssa Naeher on the other side. Naeher gave her a small smile and a quick hug. 

"Hey, Becky." Alyssa was somebody that Becky was always excited to see. The keeper was quiet sometimes but she had a good sense of humor and always had good advice.

"What's up Lyss?" Becky asked, stepping aside so Alyssa could come in. 

"I was wondering if you wanted to walk to practice together and catch up. I still haven't gotten all the details about you and Amy." Alyssa normally wasn't one for gossip, but she was more just trying to be supportive. Becky didn't often discuss her love life and her friend was just trying to show that she had the defender's back. 

The captain thought for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah, it's about the time. I'll give you details and then you can talk to me about Chicago." Becky teased, poking at Alyssa's side until the keeper gave a shy smile. 

Alyssa shrugged softly, there wasn’t much to talk about in Chicago aside from her crush on Julie. She was more interested in what Becky was doing in Utah and how she was making things work.   
\----

Later that night Becky and Amy were having a nice quiet dinner, the atmosphere was peaceful. They had found a place downtown that served really good Mexican food. It was good food and Becky couldn't help but feel like this was something she could get used too. 

"You're beautiful," Becky commented quietly. She had been staring into Amy's eyes for a long time, listening to the girl talk about what it was like being back in camp. She was trying to pay attention, but she was lost in Amy's eyes. Everything just felt romantic and perfect, like it was all meant to be.

Amy was apparently feeling the same way. The forward blushed and glanced down sheepishly at the compliment. "You're very beautiful to Becks. You okay?"

Becky smiled and nodded. "Just think about you. I am happy, I haven't felt this happy since the World Cup." Becky laughed, looking down as well.

Amy felt overcome with emotion, nobody had ever looked at her with the tenderness that Becky did. Nobody had ever been as patient, and it meant a lot to her. 

"What?" Becky asked, glancing up when she realized the girl was being silent. "Did I say the wrong thing?" She was worried that maybe she had scared her off. She wasn't trying to, of course, she wanted to make things work with Amy.

"Be my girlfriend," Amy said, almost shocking herself as the words slipped past her lips.

The defender just stared at her stunned, thinking she had misunderstood her. "W-What did you say?"

Amy was blushing harder now, trying to will herself not to lose her nerve. She had faced down goalkeepers, faced her worst fears bu the fear of rejection from Becky was enough to shake her confidence. "Be my girlfriend Rebecca Sauerbrunn. I want you to be my girlfriend." She repeated, trying to be brave.

It felt like everything else in the restaurant disappeared. "You want that?" Becky asked when the blonde nodded, a warm smile tugged at Becky's lips. "I've love to be your girlfriend." 

Amy looked excited and happy. "So we're girlfriends then." 

Becky reached for her hand and squeezed it. She felt happy, there wasn't any real hesitation. She knew how it felt to be in love or at least be falling in love and that's what she felt towards Amy.

"Wanna go back to our room and cuddle?" Amy asked looking hopeful.

Becky chuckled and put some money down to pay the bill. "Come on beautiful, let's go cuddle."  
\-----

The rest of the camp went smoothly, Becky and Amy both spending time to get closer as well as time with their teammates. Everybody seemed rather supportive of them being together, a few of the other couples offering to go on double dates with them. Amy, of course, had called Adam to let him know, wanting him to be one of the first ones since it would in a way affect him. he had been super happy and supportive for both of them. Adam had been moving on with his life and he wanted Amy to be happy as well. 

This was the final friendly game of the came before everybody would split back up. Tobin's girlfriend Press had been spending a lot of time with Becky, Amy, and Kelley to get a feel since she would be coming to Utah. They were all bonding before the game, but something about the other team that they were playing seemed off. One of the forwards from the very start of the game kept going after KO and Becky, trying to fight them. 

Amy was on the sidelines, watching as both Kelley and Becky tried to protect and defend the goal. The other rival player though kept making dirty tackles and was clearly out to hurt somebody. The ref kept refusing to call it, finally the forward had straight up cleated Kelley in the ankle.

Becky had seen enough and went to ground to clear the ball away. The other players trailing leg caught Becky right in the temple knocking the defender down, the forward's knee smacking Becky right in the face. Amy gasped from her spot on the sidelines, flinching at the sound of the collision.

Becky could hear the sound of some bone breaking in her face. An almost blinding pain as blood poured from her broken nose. The momentum of the player landing on her causing Becky's head to fall back and hit the turf. It was an ugly break too, one that her fellow players looked away from. Alyssa was out of goal in an instant shoving the forward and checking on Becky. 

Amy who had been watching on the sidelines didn't even wait, getting up and running to Becky's side. Becky was laid out, blood gushing from her nose and a gash where a cleat spike had caught her right near the eye and bridge of the nose. 

Amy knelt down next her a look of concern on her face, as she waved for more help. She didn't even care about Alyssa and Kelley who were about to start brawling with the opposing team. All she cared about was getting Becky some help. The girl was clearly in pain and Amy was worried. 

"Becky are you okay?" Amy asked, hating the way Becky looked dazed and out of it. "Just stay down, help is coming."

"I don't feel so good," Becky mumbled, trying to spit out the blood that was running into her mouth from the incident. 

"Just hold on." Amy pleaded, trying to comfort her.

_“I’ve got a hundred million reasons to walk away, but baby I just need one good one to stay.” - Lady Gaga ‘Million Reasons’_

_"Life is a crazy thing some times you're up on the hill, sometimes you're in the valley. You just gotta ride the train of life and stick it out." - advice given to me'_


	7. chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Becky and Amy dealing with her injury.

“Ow, oh god. My face hurts,” Becky mumbled it had taken about ten stitches to close the gash on her face and she was sporting a black eye from her broken nose. Due to the break and the possible concussion she had been ruled out of the rest of the national team games which had the captain disappointed. 

"I bet it does." Amy murmured, sitting up from where she sat next to Becky's bedside. Amy had refused to leave her girlfriend's side, not wanting her to be alone. "Do you need me to call and get you some more pain meds."

Becky very slowly shook her head. "I honestly don't think it would help. You could have gone back to the hotel with the team. You worked so hard to come back, I'd hate for you to miss a game." 

Amy shrugged her shoulders, and reached for Becky's hand, gently running her thumb over the girl's knuckles. "Truth be told, as much as a comeback story would be excellent, I am more worried about my girlfriend." Amy dropped a kiss on the back of her hand. 

Becky closed her eyes, wondering how long it would take for her face to stop hurting. "I feel as ugly as I probably look."

"Hush now, you don't look ugly. You look a little battle-tested, but ladies love scars." Amy whispered, not wanting Becky to get into that headspace where she took shots at herself. She thought her girlfriend was stunning even with stitches and a black eye.

"I feel like you're just saying that to try and make me feel better, I'll admit it's working." Becky finally cracked a smile, though her eyes remained closed. She was hoping the medicine would kick in soon. "Hopefully they'll release me soon, having to spend the night for observation was the worse." 

Amy chuckled, knowing Becky hated to be on the sidelines. "You're a tough cookie and I appreciate your fight babe. But sometimes you need to let other people take care of you."

Becky had never been good at letting others take care of her, she was fiercely independent and the very idea of having to sit on the sidelines and let somebody try to take care of her made her anxious. 

Amy was about to tell Becky to trust her when the door to the hospital room opened. The head nurse walked in and gave Becky a small tight-lipped smile. "We're processing your paperwork now, you'll be discharged soon hopefully. By the way, there are some visitors in the lobby, would you like me to send them in?" 

"Oh really? Yeah, of course, send them in." Becky said, wondering who was there. She didn't have to wait long at all before Tierna Davidson, Kelley O'Hara, Carli Lloyd, and Alyssa Naeher walked in. 

"Hey Capt, how you feeling?" Tierna asked the young rookie was staring at Becky like she was some wounded soccer god and it made Amy want to laugh. 

At the same time though Amy understood what it was like to still be awestruck by some of the other players. She had been the same way when she met some of the 99ers. 

"Well my face hurts but I think I'll be alright." Becky gave a weak smile and sat up to face her friends. 

"Alyssa and I both got yellow cards for going after the girl who cleated you. I don't know what her problem was." Kelley muttered, even thinking about the other player had her blood boiling. 

Carli for her parted shuffled uncomfortably, she never did like hospitals all that much. "We got you something, Kelley said you'd appreciate it. So from one captain to another, here." Carli pulled out a Nintendo 3DS and handed it to Becky. "So you won't be bored, we even got you some new games."

"This is really thoughtful, but you didn't have to do that." Becky loathed people spending money on her. But it meant a lot that her teammates had thought of her, and more than they had shown up for her. 

"Well, now you can play video games while the rest of us sweat our asses off in the heat," Alyssa muttered, gently punching Becky's arm. It was clear that the keeper cared for her friend. "Besides I got a yellow, can you believe that? I can't believe I got a yellow." 

Becky chuckled and shook her head. "Nah, I can't believe it. Thank you guys for coming, I am sorry I won't be able to play in the next game."

"It's alright I'll make you proud," Tierna promised, wanting to make Becky proud. 

Kelley nodded. "Yeah me and the kid, we go this." She knew that they'd probably be dedicating the next game to Becky.

Carli shifted awkwardly and looked at the group. "Well, we should let you rest and recover. Come on girls." Carli gave her co-captain a warm smile and then all but shoved the rest of the girls out of the room. 

"She really is an odd duck, isn't she?" Becky asked, looking slightly amused.

Amy snorted and kissed her girlfriend's cheek. "Yeah, a little bit. But that's just Carli for you." She mused, Carli had always been a bit odd. She looked into Becky's eyes, her gaze searching. 

"You're staring at me again, what is it?" Becky asked, wondering why her girlfriend was always staring at her like that. 

"I've just been thinking..." Amy trailed off trying to put her thoughts into order.

Becky tilted her head to the side. "This is where you start breaking up with me?" 

"Becky shush, no I am not going to break up with you. I just got you back, I don't want to ever break up with you." Amy chided, her heart clenching painfully at the thought. She didn't want to be away from Becky, not again. "I've worked so hard to make a good come back, I've done a lot but being with you feels different. A good kind of different." She added, making sure to add the last point before Becky tried to interrupt her again. 

"I guess what I am trying to say, Becky is that you have my heart. I know I've hurt you in the past but I don't want to break your heart again. I am in this for the long haul. A fresh start in Utah with you and my kids, make it a real home." Amy was feeling a little emotional. Maybe from lack of sleep or maybe because she just wanted to share her life with Becky. "Can you make way for me and my family in your heart babe?"

Becky stared at her for a moment and then chuckled softly. "Amy there has always been room for you in my heart and your kids. Why don't we go slow and if everything works out I can try and spend more time with them, build a relationship." She suggested, knowing that Amy came as a packaged deal with two kids and a very involved ex-husband. 

"That sounds great." Amy gave a watery smile and pressed a kiss to Becky's cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know this was a bit of a filler chapter and I am sorry. But hey at least it's an update yeah?


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Becky bonds with Amy and her kids.

_“For the two of us, home isn't a place. It is a person. And we are finally home.” - Stephanie Perkin_

Being back in Utah, back in Salt Lake where her home was had Becky feeling so much better. The defender was still in some pain but she knew a few good days of rest would make her feel all the better. Amy was insisting that Becky stay at her house at least for one day so that she could keep an eye on her. Becky had wanted to decline the invitation but she knew it would hurt her girlfriend's feelings and that was the last thing she wanted to do. 

"I am going to make sure the guest room is all made up for you," Amy promised, pressing a light kiss to Becky's cheek. She gave her a lingering look, wanting to clearly say more but held back. 

Becky leaned into the kiss and then watched as her girlfriend went into the house to no doubt greet the children. Becky was a little anxious to be integrated into the kids' lives. She didn't want to step on any toes or somehow mess up and hurt them. She hadn't had to be a mom before. 

"You know I don't want to say I called it, but I called it." 

Becky looked up from where she had been pulling the bags out of the back seat to find herself face to face with Adam. Amy's ex, Adam stared at her with a bit of an amused smile. 

"You called what Adam?" She asked, deciding to humor him. She had never really had any issues with him, despite the fact that she had been in love with Amy. She had always respected the boundaries and hadn't pursued anything until Amy was single. 

"I told you back when Amy first joined the Royals, that she was head over heels about you. I also told you, you could lie to yourself Sauerbrunn. Amy loves you and you love her." Adam said slowly as if he was having to explain something complicated. 

Becky felt her cheeks burn and she looked down. "Yeah, you were right Adam. I want to be good enough for her." 

Adam scoffed a little bit. "You already are Becky. You're probably in the top three of the best things to ever happen to her and that list includes the kids." He wanted Amy to be happy and he knew that Becky could be the person to do it. 

The soccer player was confused by the praise but oddly flattered. "Why are you so happy, about your ex-wife moving on?" 

"Because, Amy Rodriguez is a firecracker, she is feisty, independent, and loyal. She is a great mother, probably up there with the best. She needs you, she's crazy but in a good way, and I think you're the right amount of sane to balance her out." Adam looked towards the house. He could hear his children giggling as they played with their mom. 

"That means a lot to me," Becky said, trying not to get emotional. 

"We are going to be a team. I've seen that you can play a good defense, that you can be a steady anchor. My boys can always use a steady anchor, they have room in their hearts for you Becky, kids are like that. Now that you're dating the mother of my children, I expect you to treat her like she deserves or we'll have words." Adam warned, giving her a fake glare. He knew he wouldn't have to worry about Becky, he trusted her enough. 

Becky gently punched him in the shoulder. "Thanks." 

"Now go on inside, I saw you get hurt and you look like death," Adam said, picking up her and Amy's bags to carry them inside. 

Becky walked inside only to find herself being hugged around the leg by Amy's kids. She stared down at Luke and Ryan, trying to imagine coming home and helping them with their homework. She knelt down to give them better hugs, feeling like something was clicking into place. 

Amy watched her girlfriend's interaction feeling her heart melting. To see Becky trying and talking with the boys about the injury and showing them some silly pictures on her phone, it made her even more aware of how right it felt to be with Becky. 

"I am going to take the boys out for dinner later, let you both catch a few hours of sleep. I know they'll want to stay the night with you, so I'll bring them back around eight-thirty for bed." Adam said he was watching Becky's interaction with his sons. He gave them both a smile. "Give your mom a kiss boys and tell her and Becky bye." 

Amy hugged her kids and watched them hug Becky before Adam picked them up. "Enjoy your afternoon ladies, see you in a few hours." 

Becky watched the men go and then turned to Amy. "Are you going to show me where my bed is?" She asked, rocking on her heels a little bit. 

"Yes, but first..." Amy trailed off and closed the distance between them, kissing Becky deeply. She tried to pour all of her love into the kiss, every emotion she felt towards the defender. Amy only pulled back when Becky let out a whimper of pain. "Sorry about that my love."

Becky was rubbing her nose gingerly, her face still hurt from the stitches. "It's okay, trust me I'd like to kiss you more but that's kind of painful right now." 

Amy laughed softly and took Becky's hand. "My poor baby, come on. Let's go cuddle in my room."

"What about the guest room?" Becky asked raising an eyebrow in confusion. 

Amy smirked at her and pulled Becky close once more, pressing a tender kiss to her neck this time. "Well I figured we have a couple hours and I'd really like to help you feel better. I've been told that my kisses have healing properties, and I'm not talking about kissing your face." Amy chuckled, leading her girlfriend to her bedroom. "The doctor's in babe and she's gonna take real good care of her favorite patient."

Becky was blushing a deep red, but definitely all for what Amy had in mind. "I think I'd like that." 

"Good girl, now tell me Becky where exactly does it hurt?" Amy asked, pinning her girlfriend to the bedroom door and trailing kisses down her neck. 

\----

It had been a few weeks since Becky had gotten hurt. She was finally cleared to come back to training. She enjoyed playing soccer and it felt good to be on the pitch. She had even started spending more time at Amy’s house bonding with the boys. 

Becky was trying to keep thing nice and slow, she didn’t want to offend anybody. She also didn’t want to force a deeper relationship with Amy’s kids. Clearly, she cared about them, but she was still waiting for them to adapt to her new role. 

She was pushing Ryan on the swings in the backyard when finally the little boy asked the question that Becky had been dreading. “Are you going to be my new mommy?” 

Becky let out a breath and stopped the swings. She went around to kneel in front of him and took another deep breath. “You have a mommy already, but I think I am going to be around more if that’s okay with you.”

Ryan considered it and then nodded. “Yeah, you’re fun to play with. You push me high on the swings.” Ryan figured that was good enough standards for him. 

“You really don’t care if I’m around?” Becky asked, surprised by the little boy’s response. 

“You make mommy smile real pretty. Baby Luke likes you too, even daddy likes you.” Ryan hopped off the swing and hugged her around the neck. “Maybe we could play video games.” He had heard his mom say that if he was good Becky would play Mario Kart with him. 

Becky ruffled his hair in an affectionate sort of way. “You got a deal little buddy,” Becky said, feeling her heart squeezing in her chest. 

She felt reassured that she was making the right choice by being with Amy. Truth be told Becky hadn’t been this happy in a long time. Waking up and going for donut runs with the kids, or coming home from practice and being able to eat dinner with them and Amy. Even the backyard barbecues where Adam would grill and they would all sit out and talk until the kids fell asleep, and then the adult would break out the wine.

“Hate to interrupt such a cute moment of hugs, but dinner is ready,” Amy called, a loving look in the forward’s eyes. “Hey, buddy why don’t you wash your hands and then we can eat.” 

Ryan nodded and scampered off to wash his hands and to help baby Luke wash his hands too. He gave Amy a hug on the way, mumbled something against her. He then giggled and jogged inside, giving Becky a mischievous look over his shoulder.

“What did he say?” Becky asked curiously as she moved to go inside. 

“He told me I had my pretty smile on today. I don't know what he means by my pretty smile, but it was cute never the less.” Amy was confused by the statement but it was still sweet. She kissed Becky. “I love you Sauerbrunn.”

“Love you too Ames,” Becky whispered, returning the kiss before walking inside to help make the two boys’ dinner plates. It was a slow process but Becky felt like she was making progress on learning how to be a part of the parental unit.

_No one tells you that the moment the kids include you or go to you instead of their parent will be the greatest feeling in the world. It’s as if you’ve finally been initiated into a secret society.” — Jenna Korf 'The 12 Things no one tells you about being a step-parent'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this still, I might have the next chapter be a time jump like a year in advance,


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Becky gets some news

“Hey Broon, come here.”

Becky had been practicing drills with her teammates, prepping for the last half of the season when coach Laura Harvey called her over. She was confused but jogged over to see what her boss wanted. 

“I need to talk to you Becky, you know they’re thinking of adding two more expansion teams this upcoming season right?” Laura had never been one to beat around the bush. 

Becky arched a brow and nodded. “I know one possibly in California, didn’t know about the other one. Why?” She asked, curiously. 

Laura frowned, clearly trying to think over how to word what she needed to say. “We can protect two national team players in the expansion draft. I have four national team players Becky. Press, Amy, Kelley and You.” The coach said the words slowly, not wanting to have to repeat herself. It was hard enough saying it once. 

Becky felt like she was going to be sick to her stomach, it felt like a sudden punch to the gut. “You’re going to save Kelley and Amy?”

Laura couldn’t look the captain in the eyes. “Press will want to go to LA most likely, but Kelley and Amy are the future of this team. They both have a few more good years in them that can set the foundation. I want to keep you Becky but I am going to have to leave you unprotected in the expansion draft.”

Becky just stared back at her coach stunned, she couldn’t believe it. She was the captain, but she supposed the armband could easily go to one of her other teammates. 

“It’s really nothing personal, I would keep you too if I could.” Laura felt guilty but she had to do what was best for her team. They had other defenders and while it’d be a hard loss Utah could recover from it. Becky was in a lot of ways replaceable.

Everything around Becky felt like it had come crashing down, her fears before coming to Utah were surging right back to the forefront. She liked it in Utah, she liked captaining the team and now it was going to be stripped from her. Tears flooded the defender's eyes and she blinked them away not wanting to appear unprofessional. 

"I think I forgot my water in the locker room," Becky said turning away from Laura and heading back into the locker room before the coach could say anything. She was feeling sick and trying to hold it together. She couldn't believe that the organization was going to leave her unprotected, sure trades were normal but Becky had thought she had some safety since she was a captain. 

Once she got to the locker room, the captain sat down trying to collect herself. Becky wasn’t the type to usually get emotional about this kind of stuff. She was trying to keep it all together but she was upset. She wanted to punch the locker, to scream and yell out her frustration. Still, her reputation as level-headed and a leader meant more to her than venting her emotions. She just needed to keep it under lock and key. She was a captain, she couldn't act childish. 

“Hey, are you okay? I saw you leave the field.” A voice called out to her.

Becky was worried it was Amy for a second but found herself face to face with Press. She nodded to her head to Christen and shrugged her shoulders. She didn’t even know where to begin.

“What’s wrong Becky?” The forward asked, a look of concern on her face for the captain. 

“I’m probably getting traded and I don’t want to.” Becky let out a bitter laugh, her anger still flaring on the inside.

Christen tilted her head and sat down next to her friend. “I have some experience with that, being forced to go where you don’t want to go.” She placed a hand sympathetically on Becky’s shoulder. She could relate to Becky’s struggles in more ways than one. 

“I don’t think I can go to Sweden as you did.” Becky sighed and ran a hand through her hair in frustration. “I really love it and I don’t want to go. I finally fixed things with Amy but we both know Utah is going to protect Amy and Kelley. They’ll leave you and me unprotected in the draft so that you can go to Los Angeles.” 

Christen had known about her being unprotected for selection, but she hadn’t know Becky would be too. “They’d be stupid to let you go.” Christen pointed out, giving her a tiny little smile. She was trying to cheer her friend up. 

Becky didn’t look convinced at all, but she appreciated the forward’s efforts. “I just don’t want to leave Amy. I feel like I finally got her back.” 

“I don’t think Amy is just going to let you slip through her fingers again. I see the way that she looks at you. Trust me, you guys are the real deal.” Christen promised softly.

“I guess we’re going to find out.” Becky knew that she’d have to talk to her girlfriend, that was the upside to having a partner. She knew Amy would sit down and talk things out with her. It would be stupid to ice Amy out and isolate herself, but part of her wanted too. She wanted to shut down and take some time to process her own emotions before she had to share them. 

Press could tell that Becky needed some space so she simply patted her shoulder and left her to her own devices. 

Back out on the pitch, Amy had watched Becky leave. She could see the upset look on Becky's face and wandered over to Laura to see what had happened. 

"Hey Coach, what's up with Broon?" Amy asked, her eyes shifting from the coach to the locker room and back again. She wanted to go make sure the girl was okay, but Amy didn't want to leave the field either. 

Laura sighed and shrugged. "She got some bad news about possibly being traded and unprotected in the expansion draft. She'll be fine though she's tough." The coach was not trying to be heartless she did care about Becky. But trades were the name of the game and she had to focus on building the future of the team. 

Amy frowned, a bit taken back by the news. “So it’s only a possibility, right? Like it’s not definitive?” She inquired wanting to know what she could do to help Becky out. 

“I don’t want to trade Becky, believe me, Broon is the anchor of our defense but when it comes to National team players, I am going to pick you and Kelley every time.” Laura felt like that was just a simple fact. She had played against both Kelley and Amy and this time she wasn’t going to let them slip through her fingers. 

Amy sighed shifting uncomfortably. She wanted to check on Becky, but she also knew how Becky was about things like work. Becky would put up a front and if Amy pushed too hard she’d get pushed away. 

Excusing herself from Laura, she walked over to where Gunny and Kelley were practicing. “Hey you guys, I need your help. I wanna throw a party for Becky, a sort of thanks for being a great captain party.” She explained, hoping that would lift her girlfriend’s spirits. 

“Count us in,” Kel said softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I so struggled with this chapter, like no matter how much I wrote it killed me.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A conclusion

“Come on, you can do it, blow!” Kelley O’Hara encouraged with a playful and mischievous grin.

Gunny shot Kelley a dirty look and flipped her off. She then resumed her current task of blowing up the balloons for Becky’s party. Amy had tasked the duo with setting up the party decorations and making sure it would be presentable when Becky got there. 

“Don’t be sour, I am just trying to be supportive.” Kelley gave a little huff, she sounded miff but the smile on her face signaled otherwise. Her and Gunny were like two peas in a pod which made them the party animals of the Utah Royals along with Desiree Scott and Diana Matheson.

The two Canadians were also helping, Diana had taken up baking and arraigning the food platters while Desiree was setting up the media and music. 

“So do you think Sauerbrunn will actually get traded, I like her on the team,” Diana said, glancing back at Kelley. It felt like Becky was meant to be on the team and trying to picture a team without Becky simply did not make sense. 

“I don’t know if she will, I hope not. I like having momma broon around.” Kelley mused softly. She had developed a close friendship with Becky, and she looked to the older player as a sort of mentor, most of the younger players did.

Desiree nodded her head. “Becky is a great captain, I need her to stay on the team.” Scott enjoyed playing under Becky. “Do you think Amy will somehow come up with a way to help Becky stay?”

“If there is one thing I’ve learned it’s not to count out Arod or Becky.” Kelley knew better than to count out her teammates. Becky was the type to always come through and well Amy was always the comeback kid. 

Gunny finished tying another balloon. “I like Becky, she’s the type of player I want to be. Respectable, brave and strong. She commands respect from everybody.” 

The other three royals players nodded in agreement. They all didn’t want to imagine a team without Becky on it, Becky was the glue that kept them all together. 

\---  
“Where are we going?” Becky asked, following Amy down the street. Amy had insisted on a date for the two of them but hadn’t told Becky where they were going. “You know I’m not the biggest fan of surprises.”

Becky hadn’t really talked to Amy about possibly being traded, she didn’t know when or how to bring it up. She wanted to protect their relationship and keep it in the safe bubble for as long as she could. Becky knew she’d have to talk to Amy about it eventually, but for now, she was fine with just letting it rest and enjoying what time they did have together before they’d be long distance. 

“It’s a good surprise,” Amy said, giving her a wide smile and reached back to squeeze Becky’s hand. “Trust me?”

“You know I do trust you, babe. I just want to spend time with you, I’ve been missing you like crazy.” Becky admitted softly, squeezing Amy’s hand in return. Becky had spent the last weekend away, taking care of some business for Jill Ellis and the national team. It was getting close to the Women’s World Cup, so she of course had been tapped to do some promotional work. 

Amy knew that Becky was under a lot of pressure even if the defender wasn’t so willing to talk about it. Amy was aware that her girlfriend was methodical, the type to look at a situation from all angles before she decided to react. 

“I miss you too, now come on, we’re almost there,” Amy promised, trying to coax Becky forward a little longer. 

Becky was hesitant but all it took was the little flirty smile from Amy and she knew the battle was lost. It wasn’t in Becky’s nature to deny her girlfriend anything, perhaps she was too smitten but Becky couldn’t bring herself to care. 

Amy led the way into a building, from the outside it looked like an old bookstore and for a moment Becky was excited. She loved bookstores and the way that they smelled, it was one of Becky’s many safe spaces. 

“Find the light switch babe,” Amy instructed her, barely able to hide the excitement in her own voice. 

Becky hit the light switch and was almost immediately startled by the sound of her teammates and friends from the Royals jumping out at here. As the light filled the bookstore she was taken back by the colorful streamers and tables set up in the corner with food. It looked like Amy had rented the whole place out. 

“What’s going on?” Becky asked as a confused smile flickered across her face, she looked a bit unsure of the situation. “It’s not my birthday.” 

“We know that you big goofball. We’re throwing you an appreciation party.” Kelley said as she walked over and plopped an oversized party hat on Becky’s head. 

Becky shot Amy a look, still unsure of why this was all going on. “Why would you throw me an appreciation party?” She questioned, looking between Kelley an Amy, before glancing to the rest of her teammates. 

Amy could tell that Becky was freaking out a little bit and placed a calming hand on her shoulder. “We know that you’ve been under stress with the team and the stuff happening with the national team. Losing the Captain’s band there and then possibly being traded here, we just wanted to show our appreciation.”

“So this is a going away party then?” Becky felt an unhappy feeling curling in her gut. She knew what Amy and the rest of the team were trying to do. They were trying to do the right thing, but it just didn’t sit well with Becky. It felt like she was being pushed out of the team like they were all happy to see her go. She tried to school her expression into one that wasn’t hurt or angry and settled for mildly upset.

“Becky it isn’t a going away party,” Kelley said, trying to console Becky. 

Becky pulled away from Amy’s touch and ducked under Kelley’s open arm. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to use the restroom.” The defender announced, needing to process her emotions, not in the view of everybody else. 

Amy wanted to call after her but a look from Kelley told her, it was probably for the best that she give Becky some space. 

“She really does hate surprises,” Kelley said, assuming that was what the problem was for the older player. “Maybe the surprise had just been too much for Becky to process.”

Amy let out a heavy sigh and rubbed her temples. “Becky doesn’t tend to like people in her business and I should have been more considerate of that. She’s under a lot of pressure and forcing her to confront all of it on my time wasn’t fair.” Amy rationalized as tried to think of what to do. 

Becky was trying to get a grip on herself as she ran her fingers through her hair. She splashed some water on her face in the bathroom and was staring hard at herself in the mirror. Confidence was always something that Becky had struggled with off the pitch. She did her best to prove that she belonged on the National Team and yet she had lost her position. Now the Royals were likely to trade her elsewhere and she doubted she’d be a captain where ever she got sent. 

She heard the door opening and turned to find herself face to face with Diana Matheson. Diana gave her a sympathetic smile and moved to stand next to Becky, re-doing her own makeup. The silence was nice and it was clear that Diana would wait for Becky to speak before she did. 

“You helped Amy plan the party?” Becky asked after a moment. When Diana nodded, Becky decided to continue. “You hear that I might get traded, I’ll be unprotected in the expansion draft.”

 

Diana turned to look at her, her gaze searching for a long moment. “I think most of us will be unprotected in the draft. But that’s the thing about this game and league, it’s always an adventure. You never know where you’ll end up. You can look at it in a negative way, and I am sure there are negatives. The positives though is that you’ll continue to plant seeds of wisdom and good sportsmanship in all the teams you lead. A leader doesn’t need a band to say that they're the leader, they just lead.” Diana mused, thoughtful as ever. 

Becky could see the truth in what Diana was saying and slowly nodded her head. “You’re right, I don’t need the band to make me a leader. I just need to be the kind of player my team needs, thank you, Diana.” 

Matheson cracked a little smile and shrugged. “We maybe National Team rivals but I respect the hell out of you Sauerbrunn. We’re teammates here.” She gave Becky a hug and then stepped back. “Now I believe there is a blonde out there waiting to dance with you.”

“I wasn’t aware Gunny had an interest in me.” Becky joked, unable to help herself. It served to lighten the moment because it caused Diana to roll her eyes and laugh.

“Amy set this all up for you. I am sure she’s worried about you.” Diana gave her one last look before leaving Becky to her own devices in the bathroom once more. 

It took Becky a few more minutes of self-motivation before she felt confident enough to walk back out to the party. Some of her teammates were dancing and partying, but Kelley and Amy were still talking over in the corner right near the entrance where Becky had left them. 

“Hey you two, I just wanted to say thank you. I know I didn’t react the best way when I got here, but I do appreciate you guys going out of your way to do this for me.” Becky said, trying to be apologetic for not showing her appreciation earlier. 

Kelley just hugged Becky close. “Don’t worry about it Cap, we all have our moments. Cut loose and have some fun why don’t you.” Kelley suggested, before going off to dance with Gunny and the Canadians.

Amy turned her attention to Becky, looking for any sign of discomfort on the defender’s features. “We don’t have to stay if you don’t want too, my intentions really were to cheer you up.” 

“I know, you wouldn’t ever intentionally do something to hurt me. That’s not who you are, you are an amazing woman and I am lucky to have you.” Becky said, taking Amy’s hand in her own and leading the girl to the makeshift dance floor. 

Amy wrapped her arms around Becky’s neck, just swaying with her to the music playlist that Desiree had picked out. Amy didn’t want Becky to get traded, but she felt the need to assure Becky that no matter what would come their way they’d handle it together. 

“Becky, the future seems uncertain right now and I know you, I know that you’re a planner. Uncertainty is like the bane of your existence, but I need you to trust me on this. No matter if you get traded or not, no matter what comes your way we’re going to get through it together.” Amy whispered, pressed her forehead to Becky’s. She needed to make sure that the defender was really hearing what she had to say. 

Becky nodded slowly. “I don’t want to be traded, but if I have to be traded then we’ll find a way to make us work.” 

“Exactly, there is no amount of distances that is going to keep me from you. You’re my future Becky, you’re my end game. I want to marry you, to raise the two boys and if we have more kids then them as well. I made the mistake of letting you go once Rebecca, I won’t do it again.” Becky promised her, kissing her deeply. 

“Oh my god, get it, Cap.” Kelley cheered, before glancing at Diana. “But not too much, there are children present.” She said covering Matheson’s eyes. 

Diana looked unpleased and promptly bit at Kelley’s hand. “Touch me again O’Hara and I’ll kick your ass,” Diana mumbled.

Kelley pouted and showed the bite marks on her hand to Gunny. “Careful Gunny, the little one bites.” 

Amy just laughed and looked to Becky. “Control your kids Cap.”

Becky could barely hide her amused smile. “I gave up on controlling Kelley a long time ago, she’s a wild child.” 

\---  
-A few weeks later-

Becky always loved watching the college draft as it went on, she always loved seeing the excitement on player’s faces as their dreams of playing professionally were realized. She was excited for them as well, it always meant so much to her to see just how phenomenal the upcoming talent was. 

This draft was also an expansion draft and Becky was a bit nervous because the year prior when FCKC had ceased operations a new team had picked them up. This time however it was different. 

She turned when she felt somebody sitting down next to her, she found herself face to face with Mr. Hanson owner of the Utah Royals. He had been one of the first people to welcome her into the Royals family. 

“I’ve heard you were mighty worried about being traded Ms. Sauerbrunn.” His accent added to his charm, and she knew he cared deeply about the future of women’s soccer in the United States. 

“I would like to stay with the Royals, I think I could build a home here. However, what is best for the franchise comes first and if I am being traded then I will have nothing but good things to say.” Becky promised, knowing it was always best to cultivate relationships and not burn bridges. 

The man laughed softly and shook her hand. “I don’t think I want to be getting rid of you Ms. Sauerbrunn, from what your teammates have told me, you’re the glue. I am not thrilled to be losing Ms. Press either, but I have a feeling the team will recover with you at the helm.” 

Becky smiled softly wondering if he could, in fact, keep his promise of keeping her. She watched with interest as the names of the college players were called. Slowly but surely teams were picking who they wanted and making trades for the beginning of the upcoming season. 

When it finally got time to the expansion draft, Becky listened patiently as Amanda Duffy who was acting commissioner talked about what it means to expand the team. The new team in LA would be a fast-rising star as they got both Christen Press, Alex Morgan, Crystal Dunn, and a few other big names. Becky felt relieved when her own name wasn’t called, meaning that she got to stay behind with the Royals. 

She turned to look at Mr. Hanson, giving him a wide smile. “How did you end up saving me sir?” She asked, confused by happy. 

 

The man simply shrugged his shoulders. “A good businessman never reals his secrets. I look forward to another successful year with you and Amy on board.” He said shaking her hand. 

Becky felt more than just relieved, staying in Utah meant that she could continue to build a future with Amy and the little family. She and Amy had been through so much together and she felt like it was about time that they got some stability under them. At least that was what they were both looking forward too. 

 

\---  
~ Two years later~

“Are you sure about this? It’s not too late to back out.” 

Becky stared down into the eyes of her oldest son Ryan. At least that’s how she saw him, Luke and Ryan were probably one of the best parts of being married to Amy. Amy had of course proposed after the United States won it’s fourth Women’s World Cup, and they had got married in a small ceremony not even four months after when the victory tour finally ended.

“I am sure, I had a good career but I am ready to stop playing now. You can only lead a team to two world cups, any more and you’re being greedy.” Becky joked as she fixed the jersey he was wearing. It was her retirement game and Becky was ready. 

Amy, of course, was already on the pitch, wearing number four of course in honor of Becky. It was a good feeling to be retiring on such a high note, Amy had a few more years to play still but Becky was ready to let the newer defenders take over. She had taught them as much as she could, and besides Coach Harvey was looking for an assistant on the Royals. 

“I’m gonna miss seeing you out there,” Ryan admitted, he had started playing soccer with some of the youth leagues in Salt Lake, choosing to be a defender like his step-mom.

Becky ruffled his hair. “Yeah well, I still got a lot to teach you and your brother, I got a move I call the Broon slide.” Becky took a deep breath as she heard her name called. “That’s our cue.”

Ryan nodded and offered his arm, walking with her onto the pitch. The crowd seemed all too happy to show their appreciation for their true captain. The whole ceremony with the president of the US Soccer Federation seemed to go by in a blur, Becky found her attention falling to Amy. 

Amy was smiling right back at her, a warm look in her eyes. Next, to Amy, Alex Morgan slid off the Captain’s armband and held it out to Becky. 

“To the real captain, the heart and soul of our team.” Alex helped Becky put it on before stepping back and clapping for her. The rest of the national team joined in, prompting a standing ovation from the crowd. 

“You better play your heart out one last time,” Amy whispered to Becky as she kissed her wife’s cheek. 

“Well, I guess the offense is just gonna have to make way for me.” Becky teased, kissing Amy briefly before jogging out to her end of the pitch. 

Amy watched her go, before glancing to the stands where their sons and Adam sat cheering them on. Amy felt lucky in a lot of ways, she had a supportive ex, two beautiful sons, and a wife she loved more than anything. 

She was sad to see Becky retiring but she knew that in a few years after she retired herself, that they’d open up a soccer academy and live a happy life. The two of them had overcome a lot, Amy wouldn’t expect anything less.

However what she was most proud of was that in the end, she had gotten her girl. 

\- The End-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed the story, I kind of ran out of steam tbh. So much easier writing during the season when there is hella content as opposed to when there isn't. I hope you satisfied with the ending and that you can imagine all the happiness that Arod/Becky will be feeling. 
> 
> I love you all
> 
> \- Becks


End file.
